KANSAS CITY, KAN. ----- Kansas City Kansas Community College’s middle infield duo of shortstop Hanna Barnhart and second baseman Amanda Holroyd will continue their softball careers at Southwestern Oklahoma State.
Both Barnhart and Holroyd earned post-season honors after helping the Lady Blue Devils finish 31-13 the past season. Barnhart was a first team selection on the All-Jayhawk Conference team and Holroyd and Barnhart were both named to the All-District second team.
A Bishop Ward grad, Barnhart hit .400 with 17 doubles and 26 RBI. Holyrod, a graduate of Tonganoxie, was second in runs batted in with 45 while hitting .397 with 18 extra base hits.
“I’m very excited for both Hanna and Amanda; it’s great to see two local standouts move on from our program to a Division II program,” said KCKCC Coach Kacy Tillery. “Both are hard workers both on the field and in the classroom and will have no problems in being successful at Southwestern.”
The two Blue Devil standouts were recruited by Barbara Burnett, the new Southwestern Oklahoma coach hired this spring from Independence Community College, like KCKCC a member of the Jayhawk Conference.
“She liked how we played and offered us scholarships,” said Holroyd.
“They are going to a coach and program that expects a lot out of their student athletes but that is normal for both Amanda and Hanna because they expect a lot out of themselves,” said Tillery. “It’s going to be hard to replace these two because of all they have done for our program, Both are great people and it’s been my privilege to have been able to coach them and see them grow as student-athletes as well as off the field as young adults.”
Barnhart said she and Holroyd were not recruited as a duo but both are looking forward to continuing to play together at the NCAA Division II level.
“It just happened to work out that way,” said Barnhart. Barnhart will major in Health Science and Holroyd in Psychology.
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PHOTO: Two KCKCC standouts, second baseman Amanda Holroyd (left) of Tonganoxie and Hanna Barnhart of Bishop Ward, will continue their softball careers at Southwestern Oklahoma State this fall. (KCKCC Photo by Alan Hoskins)
